Ethnic Identity and Teratogenic Risk Perceptions

Elevated perceptions of teratogenic risk can cause anxiety and confusion among pregnant women. To assess whether ethnic identity and demographic factors can influence teratogenic risk perceptions, 194 pregnant women in Houston were surveyed using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and visual analog scales to quantify perceptions of teratogenic risk for common exposures during pregnancy. Overall, participants estimated an elevated baseline risk of 25% for birth defects among the general population. In addition, participants overestimated birth defect risks for specific exposures, such as alcohol and marijuana. Based on the MEIM scores, ethnic identity was not significantly associated with teratogenic risk perceptions; however, some demographic factors were found to be significantly associated. Participant education level was associated with perceptions of the general population risk for birth defects, influenza vaccine, and acetaminophen. Understanding how demographic factors can influence teratogenic risk perceptions can aid in providing effective and accurate counseling to patients with diverse backgrounds. This may help reduce patient anxiety, guilt, and even terminations based on misinformation

Differentiation and Dynamics of Competitiveness Impacts from the EU ETS

We summarise the main factors that differentiate impacts of the EU ETS on profitability and market share. By examining and sampling a range of sectors, we present some simple metrics and indicators to help judge the nature of potential impacts. We also consider briefly the mitigation response to these impacts by sectors, and how they may evolve over time. The broad conclusion confirms the aggregate findings presented in the existing literature - more participating sectors are likely to profit under the current ETS structure out to 2012 at the cost of a modest loss of market share, but this may not hold for individual companies and regions. The period 2008-12 can assist technology investments and diversification, providing the continuation and basic principles of the EU ETS post-2012 is quickly defined and incentives are in place for sectors to pursue this

Development of a Method for the Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Propargylation of Oxime Esters

Alkynes represent a significant motif in natural products and pharmaceutical drugs, and the wide variety of reactions they can undergo makes them a handy tool in total synthesis. They can be introduced readily in various manners, including via propargylations of ketones and aldehydes. However, one reaction that remains to be examined is the propargylation of oximes to give a propargyl hydroxylamine. Current enantioselective propargylations of oximes typically require a chiral auxiliary and/or rare metals such as palladium or indium. Having an enantioselective propargylation of oximes which could use an external ligand and more commonly available metals would facilitate use of the product in total synthesis, as well as potentially as an unnatural amino acid. Unusual amino acids including alkynes are desirable for their use in copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2] dipolar cycloadditions, a common bioorthogonal reaction. Herein, the development of a copper-catalyzed propargylation of oxime esters is described. Initial efforts to induce enantioselectivity using a zinc nucleophile-based system proved fruitless. Although some Lewis acids could raise the yield, the enantioselectivity remained very low. Therefore, new reaction conditions using a boronate nucleophile were investigated. The use of a copper catalyst with a diphosphine ligand gave the desired product in high enantioselectivity, albeit low yield.</p

Metallated group IX and group X phosphinimine complexes.

The focus of this research has been the preparation of late transition metal phosphinimine complexes. The thesis herein describes the synthesis of a series of monomeric Group IX phosphinimine complexes. [RhCOD(o-C 6H4PPh2NR)] (R = 2,6-C6H3(CH 3)2 44, 2,6-C6H3 iPr2 45, 3,5-C6H3(CH 3)2 46 and Ph 47) were prepared via salt metathesis under mild conditions. The analogous complexes [Rh( o-C6H4PPh2NPh)(Ph2PCH 2CH2PPh2)] 52 and [IrCOD( o-C6H4PPh2NPh)] 53 were also readily prepared by similar methods. Reactivity studies were performed on these complexes. Unexpectedly, complexes 46, 47, 52 and 53 underwent oxidative addition of methylene chloride. However, when steric bulk was introduced on the 2,6-positions of the N-phenyl ring (compounds 44 and 45), oxidative addition of CH2Cl2 was not observed. The reaction of Group X transition metals with phosphinimine ligands was also explored. Attempts to coordinate [Li(o-C6H 4PPh2NR)]2·Et2O (R = SiMe 3 61 and tBu 62) to Group X transition metals proved to be unsuccessful due to steric congestion. However, transmetallation did occur when less bulky phosphinimine ligands were used, such as, [Li(o-C6H4PPh2NR)] 2·Et2O (R = Ph 63 and 3,5-C6H 3(CH3)2 66). The Group X phosphinimine complexes described herein, [Ni(o-C6H4PPh 2NR)2] (R = Ph 67 and 3,5-C6H 3(CH3)2 68) and [Pd(o-C 6H4PPh2NPh)2] 69, were bis-ligand type complexes.Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2003 .C46. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 42-02, page: 0594. Adviser: D. W. Stephan. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2003

Comparing the Efficiency of Nursery and Direct Transplanting Methods for Restoring Endangered Corals

Restoration of plants, corals, and other sessile species often involves transplanting individuals to sites chosen for rehabilitation. Transplanted individuals are sometimes harvested directly from wild populations (direct transplanting), and sometimes propagated or cultured in a “nursery” before being transplanted (nursery outplanting). The ecological effectiveness and cost-efficiency of these methods have rarely been compared, so we performed an experiment to address this. Coral fragments, Acropora cervicornis (n = 780), were collected and assigned to one of three treatments: 1) directly transplanted to a restoration site and placed loose on the reef; 2) directly transplanted and manually attached to the reef; 3) moved to a nursery site near the restoration site for three months before being transplanted and manually attached to the reef. Treatment 1 was inefficient simply because these corals survived poorly. After 15 months, the survival and growth of corals assigned to treatments 2 and 3 was similar. The nursery method (3) was more expensive and time-consuming than direct transplanting (2), so treatment 2 yielded twice as many surviving corals per hour of work invested and three times as many survivors per dollar of set-up costs as treatment 3. The net production of live coral tissue per hour or per dollar invested was also greatest for direct-attached transplants. Cost- and time-efficiency are important considerations for practitioners seeking to maximize the area of reef rehabilitated and, in this case study, were maximized by bypassing a nursery stage

A copper-catalyzed asymmetric oxime propargylation enables the synthesis of the gliovirin tetrahydro-1,2-oxazine core

The bicyclic tetrahydro-1,2-oxazine subunit of gliovirin is synthesized through a diastereoselective copper-catalyzed cyclization of an N-hydroxyamino ester. Oxidative elaboration to the fully functionalized bicycle was achieved through a series of mild transformations. Central to this approach was the development of the first catalytic, enantioselective propargylation of an oxime to furnish a key N-hydroyxamino ester intermediate

Regulating antimicrobial resistance:Market intermediaries, poultry and the audit lock-in

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer via the DOI in this recordAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century. Food production and farming are a key if troubling component of that challenge. Livestock production accounts for well over half of annual global consumption of antimicrobials, though the contribution of the sector to drug resistance is less clear. As a result, there is an injunction to act in advance of incontrovertible evidence for change. In this paper we engage with the role of market actors in the precautionary regulation of farming practices and AMR threats. The paper takes the UK poultry sector as exemplary of an audit-led process that has, in recent years, achieved impressive reductions in antimicrobial use. Using qualitative interview data with farmers and veterinarians we chart the changing practices that have accompanied this reduction in treatments. We use this analysis to raise some cautions around audit-led systems of regulation. Audits can lock farms and animals into particular versions of farming and animal health; they can elevate harmful compensatory practices (including disinfectant uses); and they can reproduce an actuarial approach to an issue that does not fit the conventions of risk management. The paper presents the considerable successes that have been achieved over a short period of time in a livestock sector, while generating notes of caution concerning the audit-led management of livestock-related AMR threats.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

Relation of Dietary Carbohydrates Intake to Circulating Sex Hormone-binding Globulin Levels in Postmenopausal Women

Background Low circulating levels of sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG) have been shown to be a direct and strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hormone‐dependent cancers, although the relationship between various aspects of dietary carbohydrates and SHBG levels remains unexplored in population studies. Methods Among postmenopausal women with available SHBG measurements at baseline (n = 11 159) in the Women's Health Initiative, a comprehensive assessment was conducted of total dietary carbohydrates, glycemic load (GL), glycemic index (GI), fiber, sugar, and various carbohydrate‐abundant foods in relation to circulating SHBG levels using multiple linear regressions adjusting for potential covariates. Linear trend was tested across quartiles of dietary variables. Benjamini and Hochberg's procedure was used to calculate the false discovery rate for multiple comparisons. Results Higher dietary GL and GI (both based on total and available carbohydrates) and a higher intake of sugar and sugar‐sweetened beverages were associated with lower circulating SHBG concentrations (all P trend < 0.05; Q ‐values = 0.04,0.01, 0.07, 0.10, 0.01, and <0.0001, respectively). In contrast, women with a greater intake of dietary fiber tended to have elevated SHBG levels (P trend = 0.01, Q ‐value = 0.04). There was no significant association between total carbohydrates or other carbohydrate‐abundant foods and SHBG concentrations. Conclusions The findings suggest that low GL or GI diets with low sugar and high fiber content may be associated with higher serum SHBG concentrations among postmenopausal women. Future studies investigating whether lower GL or GI diets increase SHBG concentrations are warranted